Roswell, New Mexico

In July 1947, something happened northwest of Roswell during a severe thunderstorm. Was it a flying saucer? Was it a weather balloon? What happened?

The answer is nothing for many years until leading UFO researcher Stanton Friedman came across the story in the early 1980s and began the search for information and witnesses. That research brought him to Roswell looking for the public information officer at Roswell Army Air Field in 1947. That officer was Lt. Walter Haut. He still lived in Roswell and remembered the press release and the orders from his commanding officer. Friedman’s investigation also led to many others both military and private who had information to add to the Roswell Incident story. Stepping into the picture very strongly in the late 1980s were Don Schmitt, Kevin Randle and Tom Carey. Schmitt and Carey dedicate their research to Roswell.

The debris recovered by rancher WW Mack Brazel was gathered up by the military from the Roswell Army Air Field under the direction of base intelligence officer Major Jesse Marcel. On July 8, 1947, public information officer Lt. Walter Haut issued a press release under orders from base commander Col. William Blanchard that said basically we have in our possession a flying saucer. The next day another press release was issued but this time from Gen. Roger Ramey stating it was a weather balloon. That was the start of the best know and documented UFO cover-up.

Once it became public, the event known as The Roswell Incident, the crash of an alleged flying saucer, the recovery of debris and bodies and the ensuing cover up by the military was of such magnitude and so shrouded in mystery, that 60 years later there are still more questions than answers. Books have been written and TV documentaries have been filmed. Witnesses have come forward. Skeptics have issued rebuttals to the Incident and the debate continues.

In early 1990, the idea of a home for information on the Roswell Incident and other UFO phenomena was fostered by Haut. He got together with another Roswell participant Glenn Dennis and the two sought a home for the UFO Museum. This brought them to Roswell Realtor Max Littell who helped find the first location for the business.

Incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit educational organization in 1991 and open to visitor in fall of 1992, the founders never realized just how hungry the world was for information on the subject of their museum. The mission was and continues to be the education of the general public to all aspects of the UFO phenomena. People from around the world travel to Roswell to see what the Museum has to offer and to simply “be in Roswell where it happened.” The exhibits include information on Roswell, crop circles, sightings, Area 51, ancient astronauts and abductions. The exhibits are designed to not try to convince anyone to believe one way or another. Visitors are simply encouraged to ask questions. Many visitors come numerous times and some even spend days if not weeks doing research in the library.

Roswell is 200 plus miles from any large city including Amarillo, Lubbock and El Paso, Texas, Albuquerque, NM and Las Cruces, NM. A majority of our visitors make a point to come to Roswell to see the museum and be in the city where the best known UFO crash and cover-up occurred. While in Roswell, they in the least buy gas and a soda or they may spend a week learning about the phenomena and Roswell.

Since the opening, the Museum has outgrown two downtown locations landing it in the old Plains Theater on North Main in Roswell. The number of visitors continues to be the envy of many other tourist attractions in the state and requires continued growth. Each change and step forward is designed to improve the operations of a business that continues to grow in leaps and bounds. To that end the Board of Directors of the Museum closed on the purchase of one entire city block putting the 4th home for the Museum on the horizon for the more than 150,000 believers, non-believers and the curious travel from all corners of the globe to find out about the home of the Roswell Incident.

Prior to the UFO Museum, there were no alien eyes on the lampposts, no space ship logos for a local car dealer, no city of Roswell logo and branding campaign including a space ship, no documentaries on the Incident and no television programs with the Roswell name. In the past eight years, six UFO related businesses have opened in downtown have opened. There have been six hotels completed and one currently under construction. Roswell now has a Home Depot Building Center, Super Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, Sam’s Club, PetCo, Famous Footwear and others. New restaurants including Chiles and Applebee's have opened. There are numerous other new businesses on the drawing board looking to locate in Roswell.

Once visitors began making their way to Roswell for more information on the 1947 Incident and other UFO phenomena, a number of local residents in conjunction with the Museum and the Roswell Chamber of Commerce came up with the idea to celebrate the anniversary of the Incident the first week of July.

Since 1996, the annual Roswell UFO Festival draws the curious, the silly and the serious to the community. Activities range from carnivals to trade shows, from alien costume contests to UFO lectures, from 4th of July fireworks to a parade downtown, from Hollywood celebrities to local children in costume and on roller blades. Known UFO researchers attend to present the most up-to-date information on the subject to the curios.

The museum maintains its position as the serious side of the UFO visitors to Roswell and the surrounding areas. With the media attention and word of mouth advertising, people come looking for answers to specific and personal questions about UFOs or simply out of curiosity. People spend from 30 minutes to a week here.

For more information contact the Museum at 114 N. Main, Roswell, NM 88203; 575-625-9495 or www.roswellufomuseum.com

Paranormal Tours in Northern Michigan

When you've seen all there is to see in Northern Michigan, then it's time for the unseen.

In Mackinaw City, that means a guided ghost tour with Robb Kaczor's "Other Side Tours."

As solo host of this season's inaugural paranormal tours along the streets of Michigan's No. 1 tourist destination, Kaczor, 39, is a very capable guide.

The former corrections officer of Polish/Catholic descent is confident that unveiling the city's haunted sites, while not dispelling the mystery of why the unseen are still hanging around, will increase tourism beyond the typical May-to-September peak season.

"We're planning a huge party at Halloween, because it's the time of year when people are thinking about this kind of thing," he says.

[Read More]

Ghost hunters present findings to fraternity

He was nearing the end of a seven-hour room-painting project when he said he thought he saw someone out of the corner of his eye. Ibarra was expecting someone at the house any minute to relieve him of his duties, but who he saw was not a fraternity member.

“It was a dark-haired girl wearing old-style clothing,” Ibarra said. “After that I was like, ‘I’m cleaning up, I’m done.’”

The paranormal activity Ibarra experienced was supported by the findings that Rob Garcia, founding member of Elite Paranormal of Kansas City, presented to members of Sigma Nu fraternity Sunday afternoon.

About a dozen members gathered in the dimly lit basement of the fraternity house, 1501 Sigma Nu Place, to listen to recordings and testimony from the paranormal investigators, who searched the house July 25.

The house has long been rumored to be haunted by Virginia, the mistress and a servant of Gov. Walter Stubbs, who lived in the house. Stubbs was governor from 1909 to 1913. According to the story, when Mrs. Stubbs found out about the affair, she became jealous, and the mistress hanged herself at the house in 1911.

Garcia played back recordings he took from the night of the investigation. Everyone in the room listened intently to what Garcia called EVPs, or electronic voice phenomena. The recordings, taken from various rooms throughout the house, contained voices Garcia believed said things from “they call me Nathan,” to “rest in hell.” Some of the recordings played back clearly, while others were more difficult, or impossible, to make out.

Throughout the presentation, members of the fraternity shared their own experiences with Garcia and Wendy Garrett, a psychic who was present during July’s investigation.

“There are plenty of spirit energies here to work with,” Garrett said. “This is a great space for experiencing whatever is out there other than what you see in the nine-to-five world.”

As a result of one night’s work, Garcia recorded 19 EVPs, which he said was far greater than the average number.

“I don’t think I’ve ever gotten that many from one little session,” Garcia said.

After more than an hour of presenting findings and discussing experiences, the group in Sigma Nu’s basement disbanded and headed off to resume their normal daily activities. The fraternity members continued to tell one another about their experiences as they walked away.

“When you have an experience, you know,” Garrett said. “There’s no logical explanation for what happened and in trying to explain it, it becomes a stretch. That’s when you know.”

[Lawrence Journal-World]

40 Years of Disney's Haunted House

Beyond Shadow World [Book Review]

UFODigest reviews Art Champoux's "Beyond Shadow World":

This book by Brad Steiger must be read by anyone interested in the world of paranormal, ghosts and even UFOlogy. Why? It has been my experience and my research backs me up that these phenomomen overlap. This book by Brad goes into the world of shadows and the "interdimensions of ghosts, spirits, angels and UFO entities that might be interrelated within the "shadow world."

This book goes beyond the knockings, rappings and even the mundane shadows of the night. One instance he asked why the people of house did not remove their child from the house when he told them they had to do an investigation. They responded that they did. But this child did not look like a shadow or an optical illusion; it looked like a real person with flesh and al! This is but one instance of paranormal activity that can materialize as real flesh and blood. This instance reminds me of Jesus and his disciples when they demanded to prove he was real. He told them to put their hand in the flesh wound. The father even told Brad that he witnessed his son talking to the ghost on many occasions. This spirit would cause books, glasses and other objects to fly across the room!

Ever wanted to own a Hellraiser Box? Now's your chance

Pyramid-Gallery is proud to announce the release of the Lost Configuration music box. Art and written research submitted by the talented Anna Lovatt.

A video of the wind up mechanism will soon be available for your viewing pleasure.

More on the Zombie Apocalypse

Looks like the chances of surviving a Zombie Apocalypse are rather grim, but it wouldn't be much of an Apocalypse if everybody survived.

Professor Robert Smith? (the question mark is part of his surname and not a typographical mistake) and colleagues wrote: "We model a zombie attack using biological assumptions based on popular zombie movies.

"We introduce a basic model for zombie infection and illustrate the outcome with numerical solutions."

To give the living a fighting chance, the researchers chose "classic" slow-moving zombies as our opponents rather than the nimble, intelligent creatures portrayed in some recent films.

"While we are trying to be as broad as possible in modelling zombies - especially as there are many variables - we have decided not to consider these individuals," the researchers said.

[Read More]